KMT vice chairman Andrew Hsia to visit mainland

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Andrew Hsia, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, will lead a delegation on a visit to the Chinese mainland from Feb. 8 to 17, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Monday.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, expressed a message of welcome to Hsia and the delegation, saying the mainland is willing to strengthen exchanges with the KMT, consolidate and enhance mutual trust, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields on the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence".

Joint efforts should be made to advance relations between the Communist Party of China and the KMT and relations across the Taiwan Strait, safeguard peace and stability across the Strait, and improve the interests and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the Strait, Zhu added.